Analysis and comment from Memphis, Tennessee, on media, politics, culture, science, my life and anything else that catches my eye.

Monday, August 05, 2002

A Woman, A Grudge and More Laws To Oppress You With

Seems that City Councillor Barbara Swearengen Holt wants to take social engineering to new levels in Memphis. In this story in today's Commercial Appeal, she calls on all folks, some 6000, who work for the City of Memphis to actually live in the City. The idea is absurd, but that doesn't seem to stop her.

The impetus for this is, apparently, the fact that Police Director Walter Crews lives in Collierville.

While there are good, strong arguments for having police live in the neighborhoods they patrol--they learn all the trouble spots and people intimately and are motivated far more strongly to do something about the problems--who cares where a City employee lives?

What we'll soon see, if the law is passed, is what we see in the political arena and in the folks who try to dodge City auto taxes--using a false address for employment purposes. It uselessly creates another set of criminals. Should we also require Memphis City employees to shop only in the City, or have their children only in City schools? Same logic.